


Poco A Poco

by iloafbread



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, musician au, my biggest hyunhye breakdown to date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28735362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloafbread/pseuds/iloafbread
Summary: poco a poco [adverb]; little by little.
Relationships: Kim Hyunjin/Son Hyejoo | Olivia Hye
Comments: 13
Kudos: 47





	Poco A Poco

**Author's Note:**

> hi hello! this took me a few months to finish - this is just me writing little by little every day until i reach 10k (which ended up being 14k um-) there is no strong plot, it's just me writing musicians!loona/hyunhye fluff because i miss my college life so much. i'm really sorry in advance for errors; i'm still trying to improve my writing ;-;b alright now off you gooo i hope you will enjoy reading it!
> 
> main: hyunhye  
> side pairings: heewon, yeorry, yvesoul, chuulip (mentioned)

It was the start of her two week semester break – Hyejoo had no other plans other than to stay in her apartment until the break is over. Maybe it would be just her and her music instruments for two weeks with no interruption. Aside from the upcoming Seoul Jazz Festival this weekend, and the wedding gig next weekend, there’s nothing really much to do other than finishing her music arranging assignment.

Of course there are a lot of other stuffs she could do besides her musician activities. She could binge watch movies and shows on Netflix, play PUBG or League of Legends… or maybe help her family with their café business? See, a lot. Hyejoo sighed however. Unable to make up her mind for today’s plan, she decided to switch on the TV and just casually going through the channels until she found something worth watching. She finally found one after a few minutes, but it was all for nothing once she picked up her notebook that was filled with chord progressions. She was scribbling random chords for a while and soon she got up on her feet, quickly marching down to her little studio where all of her instruments were – leaving the TV on until the end of the day.

\--

Hyejoo woke up to a text message from one of her seniors in college the next day. Apparently Heejin, the senior she hangs out with often, got them free tickets to see the Seoul Jazz Festival happening this weekend in their city.

**jheejin:** sup!!! you don’t have to pay for jazz fest

 **jheejin:** i got us FREE tickets!!!!

The entrance ticket for the event was mad expensive so Hyejoo was happy to know she doesn’t have to pay for them. However it makes her wonder; how did Heejin managed to get free tickets?

**hyeju:** ok?? where did you get the tickets from tho

 **jheejin:** i have connections

 **hyeju:** hm

 **hyeju:** why do you always say that….

 **jheejin:** i- because it’s true???

 **jheejin:** anyways i’ll save one for you :D

Heejin is always the senior who scares Hyejoo the most. She doesn’t look intimidating nor doesn’t she look like the type to do shady bribery kind of business behind closed doors. Maybe Heejin really does have a lot connections outside of college. The girl was just simply… mysterious to her. In a good way though. Hyejoo replied them with a short thank you text and decided to sleep more. She can ask Heejin more about it once they meet in person.

\--

In the middle of making breakfast on the third day of her break, Hyejoo realized that she was almost out of eggs. She checked her other food supplies and decided it was time to do some grocery shopping. As she was locking the door of her apartment, her phone began to vibrate in the back pocket of her jeans. When she checked the caller ID, she couldn’t help but sigh. She doesn’t know why but every time this certain person calls her, she would ended up sighing. Maybe it was because their skyrocketed energy always drains Hyejoo’s own? That might be it.

“Goodbye. I’m busy.” She announced as soon as she answers the call.

_“Hey no! Why do you always say that whenever I call you?”_ The caller sounded a little dejected but they know Hyejoo is just being a bully; in a friendly way that is of course. Hyejoo’s lack of response persuaded the caller to continue talking. _“Anyway! I’m coming over to your place! I need help with my modern harmony assignment.”_

“Can’t we just do it over text or facetime?” Hyejoo questioned with a whiny tone.

_“Please Hyejoo! I really want to get this work done by today so I can focus on my arranging assignment for the rest of the week.”_ The caller pleaded. _“I’ll buy you a whole watermelon if I have to!”_

“Ugh. Say no more.” Hyejoo accepted without hesitation. Everyone knows she could never say no to watermelons – she hates herself for that but hey, at least she’s getting free a watermelon today. “I’m actually heading out to do my grocery shopping right now so come over later at noon or something.”

_“Oh! That’s fine. I’m coming over right away. I’ll accompany you!”_

The call ended before Hyejoo could even say anything. She sighed in defeat and left once she locked the front door of her apartment. The friend who called her knew the location of the supermarket she often go to. In fact, the person was already waiting for Hyejoo in front of the building when she arrived there.

“Yerim.” Hyejoo said their name flatly.

“Hyejoo!” Yerim however greeted back with full of enthusiasm. Her megawatt smile somehow made Hyejoo to smile too. It was contagious, Hyejoo admits that.

“Are you gonna buy me my watermelon now?” Hyejoo asked as they entered the building now with their arms linked. “They have the best ones here, I’ll help you choose.”

“Hyejoo it’s for you anyway!” Yerim replied as she laughs.

\--

“My brain is about to explode with chords... could you spell out E flat major 7 chord for me?”

“E flat, G, B flat, D.”

Hyejoo’s brows lifted in amazed; Yerim was always quick with chord spellings. “Thanks.” She jot down the chord on her notebook before spinning her swivel chair to face her friend. “How come you’re good with chord spellings but bad at the other topics?”

“Everybody has a weakness!” Yerim briefly made a pouty face when she looked at Hyejoo who was examining her progression so far. “I mean, I’m not that bad at it. I’m just… careless.”

“I know, I can get careless at times too.” Hyejoo shrugged. “Modern harmony is a bitch.”

Yerim laughed. “Hey! Only sometimes!”

“Only sometimes.” Hyejoo echoed but quieter as she stood up on her feet. “Anyways, I’m hungry. Do you want ramen?” She asked while doing some stretches. They have been working on their assignments for two hours now. Hyejoo actually planned to have some alone time with herself today but it was actually really nice to have someone dropping by at her place; she could use a company right now anyway.

“Would you charge me if I ask you to cook two packs for me?” Yerim asked with a hopeful smile painted on her face.

“It’s fine, you bought me a watermelon.” Hyejoo said as she walked out from the study room where they both did their work. “I’m gonna cook four packets!”

“Yay!” Yerim replied from inside the room whilst continuing her assignment. She came to the kitchen a few minutes later when she picked up the smell of boiling ramen that was invading the study room. “Oh that smells good! – Hey. Are you going to Jazz Fest this weekend?”

“Yeah. Heejin got us tickets.” Hyejoo served the stainless pot on the counter. “Didn’t she texted everyone in our music department? Even our lecturers got tickets.”

Yerim had a big smile on her face when she opened the pot lid. Guess she was really hungry too. “Yeah! I got it too. I’m going there with Yeojin! We planned to have a quick date before we head there. What about you?” She was a little bit distracted now while taking her portion of the ramen from the pot.

“I had to drop by at my family’s café for a bit because my mom told me to, Heejin and Chaewon would pick me up there and we would go to the venue together I guess.” Hyejoo explained.

“Aww you’re going to be a third wheel.” Yerim teased, Hyejoo groaned at the thought of that.

“I was going to go with Haseul but she has a gig to cover for nearby and could only come afterwards. She said she’s probably going to miss the first part of the event.” Said Hyejoo. “But you know what, it’s okay, at least I’m only going to be a third wheeler for the rest of the ride to the venue.”

“Right!” Yerim nodded with a smile whilst chewing on her food. “It’s going to be fun! I’m so excited because my cousin is gonna perform!”

“Whoa. Really?”

“Mhm!” Yerim slurped some soup. “My cousin Hyunjin! She’s from Eden College and she’s going to perform as the lead guitarist. She told me to come and even gave me tickets too! But I told her to give it to someone else since Heejin reached out to me first.”

“Eden College huh? She must be a prodigy.” Hyejoo replied as she was busy filling more of the ramen into her bowl.

“She’s a goofball prodigy!” Yerim paused for a while to devour her meal. “Her showmanship on stage is amazing I’ll give her that! However when she’s not with her beloved guitar, she’s very, hmm, mischievous? Yeah, that’s the word.” She said, letting out a soft burp at the end of her sentence.

“Interesting.” Hyejoo said monotonously as she watched Yerim taking more portion of the ramen from the pot. “Can’t wait to see her perform then.”

Hyejoo may not sound as excited as she thought she would be but she knows herself that she’s looking forward to see this Hyunjin performing – not because they are Yerim’s cousin or whatever… but Eden College is known for having well known singers, producers, lyricists, and even composers as their lecturers; the students there should consider themselves lucky for learning from music geniuses. If Hyejoo didn’t stumble upon Sonatine College, she would have probably applied for the famous institution instead.

Yerim’s continuous loud slurping noises made Hyejoo to return back to her senses; she almost forgot what they were talking about until she heard Yerim spoke. “I can’t wait either! Hyunjin is the most talented person in our musical family!”

“Well if she’s that talented then why don’t you ask for her help with your assignment?” Hyejoo rolled her eyes.

“Hyunjin has her own assignment to deal with!”

“And you think I don’t?!”

Yerim waved at her friend lazily with her chopsticks. “We’re in the same college and in the same semester taking the same classes! It’s not the same with Hyunjin. Besides! You and me,” She point-gestured at both of them back and forth. “We’re music theory buddies!”

“I’m so done with you.” Hyejoo literally was. Yerim has nothing else to say apart from scrunching her nose playfully when the two friends made eye contact.

“By the way do you know where Heejin got those tickets from?” Yerim asked after a few more slurps of her ramen soup.

Hyejoo was actually about to ask the same thing. “No idea.”

“She’s so mysterious.” Yerim was concerned but just like Hyejoo, she’s going to ask their senior about it in person when they meet her.

The two friends ate their meals in silence for the rest of the lunchtime. They spent another few hours with their assignment afterwards before Yerim announced she had to leave to meet Yeojin. Hyejoo then spent the rest of her day playing her favourite video games.

\--

The sixth day of Hyejoo’s break was a Saturday. It was the day of the said Seoul Jazz Festival that has been in every music enthusiast’s mind for the previous weeks after announcements were made about the event throughout social media. As she mentioned in her conversation with Yerim days ago, she was now chilling at her family’s restaurant; Café Rosy. Hyejoo took a seat at one of the tables while playing with her phone, mainly spamming Heejin about their whereabouts. Her family’s pet dog emerged from the back of the place and made it way up onto the table where Hyejoo was at.

“My son.” Hyejoo greeted the animal monotonously. Not long after Gureum’s appearance, her mother came to the front with a small envelope in her hand; heading towards her daughter with it. With just a spare glance of it, Hyejoo already knows what it’s for. “Mom, it’s okay. I still have money for both food budget and rent payment.”

“And that’s alright dear, you should put this in your savings account then.” Mrs. Son handed the small envelope to her daughter. “Have you been eating well? Is there anything broken in your apartment? You can always call your father to fix them, you know that right?”

Hyejoo just nods at everything her mother just ask her. “Everything is fine. I’m going to a music festival right now, I’m just waiting for my friends to pick me up here.”

“Really? In that case, take something from the pastry corner and share it with them.” Mrs. Son went to grab a small box from behind the counter and returned back to her daughter, passing it to them. “Are they using a car? You should pay for their fuel if they are giving you a ride to the venue. If they don’t accept your money, bribe them with food – no one ever can say no to food.”

“Mom,” Hyejoo smiled. “It’s alright. I’m going to buy them food from the venue as a gratitude.”

“Maybe don’t do that?” A third party voice interrupted their conversation. The said friends have finally arrived; Chaewon was seen pulling Heejin with her to where Hyejoo was at. “Heejin and I actually wanted to buy something since we’re here!”

“Wonderful! Pick anything you want.” Mrs. Son greeted her daughter’s friends. She realized it was Gureum’s snack time when the dog won’t stop barking at her so she left the trio for a little while – giving them space to talk with each other for a few minutes.

“Hyejoo you do know how pricey the food are in Jazz Fest, right?” Heejin pulled a chair for Chaewon before herself. “Remember last year’s Jazz Fest where I bought that four pieces of nuggets for 15 000 won? All just for FOUR pieces of nuggets!”

“Baby that was your own fault. I told you we should have just eat at home but _nooo_.” Chaewon commented. “Was I wrong?” She made a kissy face when she realized Heejin was glaring at her.

“No but you’re a butt.” Heejin stick her tongue out in playfully.

Hyejoo felt a little disgusted seeing their little interaction. “I never actually bought food from the festival honestly. I would just come there for the performances.” She gave the small box to Heejin. “You heard my mom. She says you can pick anything you want at the pastry corner. Don’t worry, it’s on the house.”

“Assa!” Heejin wasted no time as she immediately went to pick some pastries for both her and her girlfriend. Mrs. Son went over to help them on choosing some as soon as she came back from filling Gureum’s bowl.

“Let’s see,” Chaewon hummed as she read the menu that was displayed at the counter thoroughly. “Mm… Heejin! Do you want milk tea?” She asked her girlfriend.

“No, I want an avocado smoothie.” Heejin replied. “You make the best avocado smoothies, Mrs. Son!” She complimented Hyejoo’s mother whom which responded by giving gratitude pats on her back.

“Man, what is up with her and avocados...” Chaewon said under her breath as she walked to the counter to order their drinks from Hyejoo’s sister; who was just done cleaning a table. Heejin joined her moments later with a slightly bigger box than the one Hyejoo gave her; Mrs. Son probably gave it to them when Hyejoo wasn’t looking. While the couple was at the counter, Hyejoo checked the time in her phone – Jazz Festival is starting in two hours. She may not show it but she was really excited for it.

\--

When they reached the venue, it was already packed with a lot of people. Hyejoo hates crowds but this kind of crowd is different as everyone is here for the same reason: they came for the music. Much to their surprise, outside the venue there were limited food stalls compared to last year and as Heejin has stated before, it was still expensive as ever – Hyejoo could buy new strings for her beloved bass guitar when she looked at the prices.

“We should have come here using Grab. This place is so packed!” It took Heejin around 40 minutes to find a parking spot. She had dropped Chaewon and Hyejoo near the entrance beforehand. The two friends went to find the rest of their friends after giving up on waiting for her for almost 15 minutes. Chaewon texted her their location when she finally found a spot.

“Sooyoung unnie and I parked behind the public restroom building across this place. You should have checked there!” Yerim said as she passed her beverage in hand to her girlfriend, Yeojin.

Sooyoung who is another one of Hyejoo’s seniors held up her hands while making the rock and roll gesture. “It only took Jinsoul and me about 2 minutes to discover it!” She said as her girlfriend Jinsoul only nodded along in confirmation.

“Ah! What the hell!” Heejin sounded upset but Chaewon shuts her up with a cupcake that they bought from Café Rosy earlier. Fortunately, it works.

Hyejoo looked at the time; about 7 minutes more to wait for the festival to start. At the main stage she could see a band was setting up their instruments. She was trying to see whether she knows the bassist but the singer of the group caught her eye right away. It seems like she wasn’t the only one who was looking at the stage too.

“SoShi’s Taeyeon is the opening act?!” Jinsoul was surprised, she probably hasn’t check the lineup performances for tonight. “Like, _the_ Taeyeon?!”

“The one and only Taeyeon!” Yerim answered since everyone was busy eating the food they brought from their homes. “And if you look at the guitarist – that’s my cousin, Hyunjin!”

“Hyunjin is your cousin?!” Jinsoul was once again surprised with Yerim’s newly information who was just nodding mutedly. “Wait! Oh yeah… Those are Eden College students.” She stated once she realized who they were. It just dawned on her that she is friends with almost everyone in the Music Department from the other institution.

Meanwhile with Hyejoo, she recalled the name Hyunjin. It was the girl that Yerim told her about not too long ago. So these musicians aside the idol singer are a group of students from Eden College as Jinsoul had said. After gathering some (not really) useless information from Yerim who was proudly boasting about her cousin to their friends, she returned her focus back to the stage.

Hyejoo noticed that Hyunjin, the guitarist of the band, was checking the tuning of their guitar as they had their gaze down on their pedalboard while their hand was busy tuning the pegs. Hyejoo couldn’t really see their face until Hyunjin looked up to glance at the drummer.

Oh wow. Hyunjin is insanely pretty – Hyejoo gives her that. However, she was more curious of the band’s performance on stage. For now. She just really wants to see how good the musicians are from Eden College.

Noticing that Hyejoo was muted throughout their lively conversations, Sooyoung walked up to her. “Hyejoo! You’re going to love Vivi.” She said, not knowing that she interrupted Hyejoo’s train of thoughts. “She’s one of the best bassist in Eden College!”

“Is that so?” Hyejoo finally talked. “Wow. Can’t wait then.”

“Never saw Eden College students played before.” Yeojin commented, joining along the topic as well.

They talked more about their rival college until the lights around the open field dimmed and the lights from the stage lit up. “Oh my God, everyone shut up! It’s starting.” Said Jinsoul.

Finally! The festival is starting – Hyejoo was feeling giddy. All of them were feeling the same actually. The night they have been looking forward to is here. The emcee came on stage whilst greeting the audience who enthusiastically cheers for her.

“Welcome to the annual Seoul Jazz Festival 20XX! How is everyone feeling this evening?” The emcee kept on talking for another few minutes to mention some rules to follow during the event, honorable mentions to the sponsors and some other important stuffs. “Alright! It’s time to introduce our opening band which is the first act for the night!”

“Get on with it.” Hyejoo said inwardly. Yes, her impatience were growing bigger; she had been waiting for a year for this. She was longing to feel the Jazz Festival vibes again.

“It is an honor to have one of the members from the global K-Pop group Girls’ Generation, Kim Taeyeon to perform for us on this lovely evening! Together with her talented group of music students from Eden College, give it up for Jazzyguars!”

“Wow. That’s a horrible name for a band.” Yeojin deadpanned.

“Really? I helped Hyunjin to come up with the name though…” Yerim frowned.

“Who the hell said it was horrible? It’s GENIUS. That’s a lovely name for a band!” Yeojin changed her answer within a heartbeat, earning a light elbow jab from Yerim while the rest of their friends laughed.

“What’s up Seoul?!” Taeyeon’s booming voice interrupted everyone’s fun around the open field. “Are we ready to jazz this place up?”

The crowd cheers.

“So!” The drummer starts to play a rhythm, accompanied by the bassist player. “As some of you might know, I am Taeyeon from Girls’ Generation. But tonight… tonight I am Taeyeon from Jazzyguars! And these talented youngsters behind me are my lovely students from Eden College. Let me introduce everyone starting from Jiwoo on the drums!”

The drummer introduced herself by playing a drum pattern. “Alright! Now that’s how you do a drum roll!” Sooyoung who was a drummer herself cheered for the player.

“And on the bass guitar, we have Vivi!”

The bassist played a bass lick, Hyejoo recognized the melodic pattern and she watched in awe when she realized Vivi came up with their own notes in the middle of it.

“Next! We have Jungeun on the keys!”

The keyboardist played the intro melody of ‘Into The New World’ in which the singer Taeyeon turned to face at her with a smile.

“I see what you did there!” Taeyeon commented and proceeded to introduce the last member in the band. “And last but not least! Hyunjin on the electric guitar!”

Hyunjin lifted up the mood by playing the famous ‘Gee’ melody while doing the crab leg dance, causing everyone to cheer for her. She seems playful – Hyejoo thought with a smile on her face.

“Geez. Isn’t she adorable?” Taeyeon snickered. “Alright! Let’s not waste our time any further. For our first song for the night, we’re going to have everyone to stand up, raise your drinks and dance with us! – Now I know how this is a Jazz centric festival so therefore we’re going to jazz things up with Jackson 5’s Blame It On The Boogie, or in this case, Blame It On The Swings!”

“Hold on, I love that song!” Yerim exclaimed in between the crowd that was cheering for the band.

Throughout the first performance, Hyejoo was only paying attention to Vivi’s bass playing and nothing else. However as Taeyeon passed her spotlight to Hyunjin for their guitar solo, Hyejoo’s focus shifted.

Holy shit? This Hyunjin girl is mad talented. Hyejoo unconsciously bit her bottom lip in wonderment. When the solo ended, Hyunjin flashed a smile at the audience. Lord. Perhaps… Hyejoo was a little swooned at the sight of that.

And just like that, before she even realized it, she was watching Hyunjin the whole time of the band’s performances.

\--

As the night deepened, Hyejoo soon realized this was already the second last act to perform for the night. However with good music and good people around her, she was enjoying the festival a lot.

“Yerim!” An unfamiliar voice came to greet the group when the current band was ending their performance.

When Yerim turned to look at the direction of the voice, her face lit up, she stood on her feet and came running to the person. “Hyunjin!” She pulled her cousin into a brief hug. “You were so cool up there!”

Hyejoo observed the cousins that are having a moment together, mainly on Hyunjin for some reason. In a matter of minutes, Yerim pulled Hyunjin by the hand to the direction of their group. Hyejoo didn’t realized she had a faint smile painted on her face when Hyunjin looked at her; it was too late to look away now.

“Guys! Meet my cousin Hyunjin!” Yerim introduced Hyunjin to her group of friends.

“Hi Hyunjin! Your guitar playing is sick!” Sooyoung waved the cupcake she was holding as a greeting. “Pay a visit to our college so we can jam sometimes, yeah?”

“Of course! That would be fun!” Hyunjin replied between her chuckles.

Yerim took turns to introduce everyone to Hyunjin. When it was finally Hyejoo’s turn to get introduced, Hyejoo teared her gaze away from the stage when Yerim calls out for her name. “And this is Son Hyejoo! She’s a bass guitar majored and actually the only reliable bassist in our Music Department, not that I’m saying the juniors aren’t as good as her but that’s exactly what I’m saying.” She smiled at Yerim’s words.

“Oh! She’s the one you mentioned before right? The bassist with a perfect pitch.” Hyunjin recalled. Hearing this, Hyejoo gave a look to Yerim in which the latter laughed when she was caught red handed.

“You have got to stop telling that to people about me.” Hyejoo said to Yerim before she faced the other person. “Hi. I’m Hyejoo.”

“I can’t help it. I must promote you as much as I can!” Yerim said before Hyunjin could say a word. When she heard Yeojin called out her name, she excused herself from the duo and left them both all alone as the others resumed to enjoy the current performance.

“Hyejoo, right? I’m Hyunjin!” Said Hyunjin with a cheeky smile on her face. “How’s the night going for you so far?”

“Oh, um…” Hyejoo’s introverted side was suddenly awake. She was not good at conversations with people she just met. It didn’t help more when Hyunjin took a seat next to her; accepting a cupcake that they received from Heejin. “It’s going well.”

“Dope.” Hyunjin took a bite on the cupcake. “I heard a lot about you from Yerim. It was mostly about their stories with you during practices. I’ve seen some clips of you from her Instagram stories too.”

“I don’t really check my Instagram often but I hope those clips were the good ones.” Hyejoo made a self-reminder in her head to block Yerim on the said mobile application later – okay, no, she’s kidding with this thought… sort of.

Hyunjin chuckled. “Most of them are just her annoying the hell out of you!” She noticed Hyejoo flashed a small smile at the comment. “But there’s this one story where you were covering the bass part of Mariya Takeuchi’s Plastic Love. Truly love the way you were enjoying yourself while grooving to the rhythm! You went like this!”

“Oh,” Hyejoo shyly nods and let out a small laugh when Hyunjin was playfully demonstrating what they saw in the said clip. “Yeah, I enjoyed playing that. Sadly we only got a B on that for my group’s recital performance.”

“Only a B? That’s just cruel.” Hyunjin genuinely looked sad about it. “Oh well… I heard from Yerim that your lecturers are very thorough with recital performances. That’s just how things are in Eden College too not gonna lie!” She said that with a dry laugh at the end.

None of them said a word afterwards as they were both paying attention to the current performer on stage. Hyejoo spared a few glances at Hyunjin’s direction. Hmm well... she’s sitting next to a student from Eden College. Surely she has questions lingering in her mind that she wanted to ask, right? But somehow… somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to speak up; and she doesn’t know whether she was nervous because Hyunjin is from Eden College, or that Hyunjin is somewhat looking more attractive up close right at this moment.

This time it was Hyunjin’s phone that interrupted Hyejoo’s train of thoughts. “Oh! I gotta head back to my group now. It was nice talking to you! I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Oh okay.” Hyejoo replied but Hyunjin was already making her way towards Yerim before disappearing through the crowds. “Maybe another time.” She said under her breath and decided to watch the performances for the rest of the night.

\--

The first day of the festival was done for the night and as Hyejoo had expected, it always ended around midnight. Even though the clock was ticking closer to 1AM, the girls decided to continue their hangout at a café restaurant; one where they would often drop by after late night practices. After passing their orders to the waitress, some of them were having PUBG matches together while the rest were talking about today’s performance line-ups.

“Oh! I thought you went home?” Sooyoung interrupted everyone’s attention for brief seconds when she greeted Yerim who was seen entering the restaurant alone.

“No… Yeojin did. She had to go home because her mother was waiting for her.” Yerim explained and pointed at Hyunjin who was still outside the restaurant. Her cousin was currently talking on the phone. “I hope you guys don’t mind Hyunjin joining!”

“Of course not!” Jinsoul smiled as Yerim took the empty seat across Hyejoo. “Order your food, Yerim.”

“Guys! One more person left.” Said Chaewon as being one of the four who were currently playing PUBG. “Damn it. I got knocked out.”

“NO! I’m coming my love!” Heejin exclaimed but her smile dropped a few seconds passed. “Oh. Nevermind. I’m knocked out too.”

“Useless.” Chaewon sighed as Heejin just pouts and rest her head on Chaewon’s shoulder.

“I see the last person!” Haseul said and showed her phone screen to Hyejoo who was sitting beside her. “Ambush them from the right and I’ll throw a grenade on the left side of the rock.”

“Got it.” Hyejoo answered. Just as Yerim was done ordering her food and Hyunjin coming inside the restaurant, the four friends put their phones down with big smiles on their face. “Hah, easy.”

“Chicken dinner!” Heejin exclaimed as she sat up straight, Chaewon gave her a light nudge while telling her to tone it down; she was being too loud.

“Hi everyone!” Hyunjin greeted as she was unaware of the small commotion. “Mind if I join?”

“Of course! Take a seat.” Sooyoung replied.

Hyunjin took the only available seat on the table which was the one next to Hyejoo. “Damn, I’m so tired.” She sighed. “Yerim, can I crash at your place for the night?”

Yerim almost gasped as she put her phone down. “We’re having a sleepover? But we’re not kids anymore!” She let out a hearty laugh and give a thumbs up to her cousin when the latter was only staring blankly at her; Hyunjin was probably too sleepy to goof around. “Alright, alright! Sure, you know you’re always welcome to stay anyway.”

Hyunjin mutedly replied a thumbs up before looking at the person beside her. “Hi Hyejoo.” She greeted. At the corner of her eyes, she realized Hyejoo was eyeing back and forth at the cousins as they talked. Hyunjin almost cracked a smile when Hyejoo looked as if she was caught red handed.

“Hello.” Hyejoo awkwardly flashed a smile for Hyunjin before looking back at her phone screen.

Waiting for the orders to arrive was rather a torture. Yet the girls were trying to be considerate as the waitress told them beforehand that there was only one chef working in the kitchen for tonight’s shift. She was minding her own business but Hyejoo could clearly hear Hyunjin sighing every now and then next to her. Curious and maybe a little slight concerned about Hyunjin’s behavior, Hyejoo took the courage to look at them.

Hyejoo could now see that Hyunjin was looking at their phone with a dead expression. “Uh, you okay?” She asked, gaining Hyunjin’s attention right away.

“Huh? Yeah.” Hyunjin flashed a smile for Hyejoo before returning her gaze on the device in hand. “I’m watching my band’s performance from earlier… Well, hmm, more like analyzing… Yeah.”

“Oh…” Hyejoo put down her phone and bravely leaned closer to Hyunjin, joining them on watching the video that was currently playing in their phone. “What were you analyzing?”

“My guitar solos.” Hyunjin sighed again, Hyejoo lost count how many times they did for the past few minutes. “I don’t think I’m satisfied with them now that I’m watching this.”

“Oh.” Hyejoo slowly nodded. “But… did you have fun performing?”

Hyunjin hummed in wonder before she replied “Definitely?” to Hyejoo while sounding unsure with herself. When Hyejoo looked at her with an amused expression, her shoulders dropped. “I don’t know, it’s just – ugh, honestly I don’t remember… But what I DO know is that I was nervous as hell the entire time.”

“I mean, I guess that’s understandable… It is the Jazz Festival after all.” Hyejoo said. “But hey now, don’t be too hard on yourself. You were amazing up there. Your band was probably one of the best performing acts for Day 1.”

“You think so?” Hyunjin asked in which Hyejoo nodded continuously until she nods along with them; the two musicians broke into giggles at their silly action in the end. “Okay… Okay.” Hyunjin resumed watching the video that was playing on her phone afterwards.

Hyejoo felt that was her indication to leave Hyunjin alone. As much as she wants to continue on scrolling through her Twitter feed, she was drawn to the way Hyunjin was staring down at their phone with a smile lingering on their face.

Now that she had seen it up close, Hyunjin has the most beautiful smile Hyejoo had ever seen.

\--

Hyejoo had to come to college the following Wednesday despite it still being a semester break. The head department of Music had entrusted her with the spare keys for their department floors as she was usually the first one to arrive in college. Since it would only be her and her bandmates coming today, Hyejoo had only unlocked the jamming room. She put her stuffs down, pulled out her bass guitar from the gig bag and plugged its cable in with the bass amp she often used.

‘ **Now playing:** Just the Two of Us (Grover Washington Jr.)’

The rest of her bandmates arrived one by one as Hyejoo practiced her bass playing with the song going on repeat. Sooyoung arrived at the third repeat, followed by Heejin and Haseul together at the end of the fourth repeat. Halfway through the ninth repeat, the last member arrived; and Yerim had brought Hyunjin with her as the cousin was seen to be the one carrying Yerim’s keyboard gig bag instead of herself. This was because she was holding two music stands.

“What’s my record for today?” Yerim went to Hyejoo while the bassist was still playing and placed the music stands next to the bass amp.

“You arrived at my ninth repeat.” Replied Hyejoo.

“Aw! I was aiming for the seventh repeat.” Yerim briefly pouted, she quickly ambled to Hyunjin when she heard her cousin called out for her name.

“Alright, since everyone is here,” Haseul spoke once the song ends, Hyejoo immediately pressed pause before it could even played for the tenth time. “Let’s discuss our set list for the wedding.”

“The wedding reception starts at 6, we can jam some instrumentals while the family greets their guests. And then, hmm, the bride requested us to play Lena Park’s My Everything for their first dance.” Haseul continued as she was reading something from her phone screen.

“What about the cake cutting ceremony?” Sooyoung asked.

“Since the emcee is gonna be talking while we perform in the background, just play an instrumental of a suitable song.” Said Haseul. “How about a Heejin and Yerim highlight duo for this one instead of me? Maybe play the song you two performed during our latest recital.”

“Beautiful by Crush?” Heejin asked as she looked at Yerim for confirmation.

“Oh! I think that would work.” Yerim beamed a smile. “I’ll take care of the accompaniment while you focus on the melody?”

“Okay. Just like our recital performance, got it.” Heejin gestured a thumbs up.

“Right,” Haseul checked her phone once again. “What else… Ah. We will have 30 minute segment while everyone is feasting followed by an hour segment after the bride’s family performance.”

“Do we get to eat?” Heejin asked.

Sooyoung and Haseul laughed at the question. “Of course, Heejin.” Sooyoung answered, Haseul was nodding at the guitarist as well. “I’m sure they would provide dinner for us beforehand.”

“Or when we’re taking a break during the bride’s family performance.” Haseul added.

“I had flashbacks, okay…” Heejin sighed a smile. Her previous gigs must have scarred her, Hyejoo thought. “Anyway, which set list are we following?”

“What do you guys think?” Haseul asked her bandmates.

“Since Sooyoung is only using a Cajon set and Heejin with her acoustic guitar, I think it’s better if we choose set list C – That’s like the only set list of songs that we could play in acoustic version.” Hyejoo suggested while her members were in the middle of scrolling through their music scores.

“Hyejoo’s right,” Haseul was now flipping through the pages of her file full of lyrics instead of her phone. “But there are some songs that we don’t need to perform like Doja Cat’s Say So and Heart’s Barracuda.”

“Barracuda is understandable but I think we can play Say So… Who knows there might be little Tik Tok obsessed kids at the wedding?” Heejin suggested. “The progression is 2-5-1 all the way, isn’t it?”

Yerim played the progression as she hummed. “Yeah but it goes to 6 for the second repeat if you listen closely… What do you think, Hyejoo?”

“2-5-1-1-2-5-1-6 with suspended 4th.” Hyejoo said with closed eyes, it was as if she was trying to visualize the song’s chords progression in her head.

“Suspended 4th…” Heejin’s voice trailed off as she tried to play the progression with her guitar.

“Okay! I got it!” Yerim cheered as she played the progression on repeat, now syncing with Heejin and Hyejoo who played along with her. “So are we adding this song to the set list?”

“Mmm, I’ll put it in our optional set list. I’m not sure if I want to sing that in a wedding…” Haseul pouted.

“If you’re too embarrassed to sing it, I’ll do the honors.” Said Sooyoung. Heejin and Yerim began to laugh at her as she was playfully dancing to the viral Tik Tok dance of the said song. “Didn’t even notice–”

“No.” Hyejoo and Haseul said in unison. “Alright enough of that horrifying dance presentation, let’s move on!” Haseul flipped to the next page of her file.

Hyunjin was muted throughout the discussion. She didn’t want to be a bother as she was just a humble spectator in the room. While her cousin’s band continued to discuss, she was quietly listening to their plans for the gig – she was especially attentive whenever Hyejoo started to speak. There is something about the bassist that made Hyunjin was so intrigued with the way she communicate with her band. And their knowledge about music theory? It was something Hyunjin wished she is good at. The discussion goes for another 10 minutes before the band finally start to play their instruments.

From there, Hyunjin found herself watching Hyejoo the whole time during practice.

\--

Because she was Yerim’s driver and that she had no classes nor practices for the day, Hyunjin stayed at Sonatine College until her cousin’s practice schedule was over. She admitted she had a lot of fun while visiting there, she even had time to bond closer with the musicians from the other college when they took a break – they were jamming their hearts out; Hyunjin had a blast. However she never actually got a chance to talk to a certain someone as the others were busy flooding her with questions of their own about her; the said person didn’t actually make an effort to approach her, though she caught them looking at her several times today.

But she was one to talk – she was staring at Hyejoo an awfully lot herself.

Hyejoo would probably think she was a creep if they notice; if so, Hyunjin hoped they knew she didn’t mean to stare a lot. However she does wished they could have talk more than just exchanging simple greetings.

“Yerim,” Hyunjin broke the silence atmosphere between her and Yerim. The cousins were currently having an early dinner meal at a restaurant near to Yerim’s neighborhood. “Can I ask you something about one of your friends?”

“Oh? Sure!” Curious with the new topic, Yerim instantly put her phone down. “Who are we talking about?”

“Um… Hyejoo?” Hyunjin sounded hesitant. She was visibly flushing after saying Hyejoo’s name. However Yerim did not question it right away, instead she was patiently waiting for her cousin to finish their sentence. “She’s very – uh, reserved, isn’t she?”

“Ah! Hmm…. When I first met her, I did had the same thought, yes...” Yerim tried to recall her first few encounters with her friend. “Mm, however! If you hang out with her occasionally, you would realize she is as chaotic as you and I both combined!” She ended her sentence with a big smile and a random thumbs up gesture.

Hyunjin was nodding whilst listening to her cousin talking. “She seems like a cool person.”

“You’re definitely right about that. She is a cool person!” Yerim nodded in agreement. “Do you wanna know something even cooler about her? She has her own studio in her apartment!”

“Pause! Her own studio?” Hyunjin almost gasped when she heard what Yerim had just said. “Does she make music too?”

“She does!” Yerim couldn’t help but to laugh upon seeing how invested Hyunjin was with their current topic. “She mostly does arrangement covers. If you ended up being paired with her or that end up in the same band for weekly recital, you would definitely get an A plus!”

“Hmm? That’s funny. We had a short conversation at Jazz Festival and I was positive she said something about getting a B plus for a song. I forgot what song she mentioned though…” Hyunjin tried to remember but her performances were the only one that haunted her till this day. She did remember enjoying the short conversations she had with Hyejoo during the first day of course.

Yerim gasped. “I can’t believe she told you about the cursed Plastic Love performance.”

“Oh yeah! Plastic Love. Wait, why cursed?” Hyunjin was confused.

“That was her first non A plus performance.” Yerim pouted. “All because of that good for nothing junior of ours! He ruined the performance mid-way. Hyejoo almost threw hands that day. Whew. If I was her, I would flip a music stand at the dude!” She explained, her cousin was staring at her with wide eyes.

“I mean I would be upset too if my bandmates ruined a performance…” Hyunjin replied.

“It’s always the lazy ones! The lazy ones always ruin everything!” Yerim was not done with her little rant. However she managed to calm down when realizing she was getting out of topic. “God. Anyway! Let’s not talk about lazy musicians and talk more about my best friend Hyejoo!”

Hyunjin sighed a smile. “Okay miss prodigy.”

“What else do you wanna know about Hyejoo?” Yerim asked in excitement. “Oh! I could go on about her personality when it’s practice time! I mean, you’ve already seen it yourself earlier but–”

And her cousin just keeps on going and going. Hyunjin was starting to regret asking Yerim about it as the girl would never stop talking unless they run out of things to say – which actually never happen by the way. As much as Hyunjin appreciates her cousin’s help on getting to know more about Hyejoo, she thought it would have been better if she could get to know them personally. Moreover, this was getting a little weirder for her; she never had much interest in someone this much before. The only exception was her senior Jiwoo but that interest reached a dead end when her friend ended up with her other friend, Jungeun. Hyunjin moved on quite well from it surprisingly since it never developed into a serious crush to begin with.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s think this out. Are her thoughts suggesting that she might have a little ‘something-something’ for Hyejoo? Let’s revise: despite only knowing Hyejoo through Yerim’s stories for months, she admitted Hyejoo sounded interesting to her. Fast forward to Jazz Festival that just happened last weekend, they finally met and Hyunjin thought Hyejoo was nothing but one of Yerim’s musician friends. Fast forward more to today’s events, after seeing Hyejoo’s personality shone throughout the practice they had earlier, Hyunjin was really fascinated with them now.

Okay. But that doesn’t mean she likes Hyejoo or something like that… Right?

Of course not. Hyunjin nodded approvingly to herself although it might seem like she was responding to Yerim who was still blabbering about Hyejoo without knowing that she had lost her focus on the conversation.

She was just a little interested with Hyejoo.

_Yeah._

Just a little.

\--

Hyejoo happily squealed as she threw her arms in the air. It was a few hours after practice had ended, she went home and decided to finish up her arranging assignment. Now all she needs to do is to export the music scores into PDFs from Sibelius and print them out, but she can do that tomorrow. As she glanced at the time, she noticed it was time for her to grab something to eat. She quickly concluded to cook an instant meal for herself; she did had a pre-dinner meal before focusing on her assignment earlier. She connected her phone with her TV speakers and put on the ‘Discover Weekly’ playlist provided by Spotify. She felt like discovering new songs at the moment.

‘ **Now playing:** Think About You (Crinkle Cut)’

“Woah. Sick bassline.” Hyejoo said to no one. She split her attentions between the pancakes she was cooking for dinner – don’t judge her for this – and the song that was playing at the background.

_I’d lie if I told you that I don’t think about you._

Somehow Hyejoo’s thoughts became a little cloudy when the first chorus came on. The line of that particular lyric was slowly engraving itself in her mind. It was not just that however – out of nowhere, a certain person popped into her brain.

…..What the hell is Hyunjin doing in her mind?

Without a warning, her brain went on a trip to hours before during practice. Let’s see… It was in the middle of their break from practicing for the wedding gig – as usual, one of them would request a little jamming session of a personal song; it was Heejin who did today. Hyejoo started first by playing a familiar bass pattern and the rest followed suit. The musicians had a good time doing what they love and that is to play music, make music. Hyejoo then noticed Yerim had dragged Hyunjin to join along in the middle of a song and Heejin instantly gave her guitar to the musician from Eden College.

They were jamming to Sunday Morning by Maroon 5 when Hyunjin joined them if Hyejoo was not mistaken; and Hyunjin was literally killing it. Honestly the guitarist was owning every song they played afterwards. When Sooyoung announced she needed to take a break from striking her palms on her Cajon, Hyejoo watched as her friends stopped jamming and walked up to Hyunjin, starting an open group conversation with the musician. Unlike the rest, Hyejoo did not move away from her seat. Instead she was practicing her fingering at a song quietly at the corner for quite some time.

The moment she heard Hyunjin laugh was the moment that made her to pause and look at them. Coincidentally Hyunjin was the only one that was facing at her direction, her friends were all looking towards the girl. Because of this, Hyejoo had a good view of Hyunjin although the latter’s attention was not on her – that was completely fine with her… or so she thought. Truthfully Hyejoo wanted to talk to Hyunjin too. Yet she couldn’t seem to get up and join the conversation with everyone else. She hated how she was not the type to be the first one to approach someone unless she really had to. As much as she is upset with this side of her, she decided to look on the bright side; she could stare and listen to Hyunjin from where she was at.

It was hard to pay attention to what Hyunjin was actually talking about though. Her beauty was distracting Hyejoo a lot; she looked as beautiful as she was from the first time Hyejoo saw her.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s hold on for a minute. Where is she going with this? Why is she having these thoughts? Where did Hyunjin even come from to invade her mind out of nowhere like this? Is she perhaps slowly taking a liking to Hyunjin?

“Fuck.” Coming back to her senses, Hyejoo realized she had burnt the other side of her pancake when she flipped it. She groaned at the failure but decided that she would eat it nevertheless.

Thinking back once again with the previous question that was on her mind, Hyejoo could tell that would not most likely to happen anytime soon. She halfheartedly started to eat her burnt meal while repeating a sentence again and again inwardly:

She does not like Hyunjin.

\--

Sonatine College had finally reopened its doors after two weeks of semester break. The first two weeks were instantly hellish for Hyejoo however. No, it was not because of assignments – she barely had any since she already finished them during the break – but it was because there was another wedding gig coming up; except this one was a little more important as it was a wedding of one of the lecturers from a different department of Sonatine College. Every Music Department student was asked to perform; for Hyejoo she had to play for 5 bands in total… with each band having 3 to 6 songs to perform… Right. Super hellish.

‘ **Now Playing:** Losing My Way (FKJ & Tom Misch)’

It was a Thursday evening when Hyejoo was doing her grocery shopping with earphones on. She had been repeating the same song for over an hour ever since she left her apartment – she’s making sure her brain could get the sense of the rhythm, the groovy bassline notes and the form of the song overall. No, it was not one of the songs for the wedding but just a little something for Hyejoo herself to get her mind off some things. She wonders if she should ask help from her friends with the song. Hmm. Maybe not at the moment due to their busy schedules.

Hyejoo focused back with her grocery shopping. She was examining the snacks that were displayed at the aisle she was currently at when a figure was approaching her from behind without her knowing. Her shoulders jolted in shocked when she felt someone tapped on one of it. She removed one of her earbuds as she turned around to face the culprit.

The said culprit, who turns out to be Hyunjin, gave a little wave as a greeting. “Hi.”

“Oh. Hyunjin.” Hyejoo called out their name softly followed by a smile. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Haven’t seen you since the last time I went to your college.” Hyunjin said.

“Yeah, it’s been awhile.” Replied Hyejoo with a nod. She briefly paused their conversation to pick a can of Pringles that she was checking out earlier. “Uh, are you with Yerim?” She asked whilst looking around their surroundings awkwardly.

“Ah, nope. I’m alone.” Hyunjin let out a nervous chuckle. “Isn’t Yerim still at college? She told me to pick her up later after her practice.”

“Oh,” Hyejoo tried to recall the schedule for tonight’s band practices. “Right. Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay. No worries.” Hyunjin replied.

The two exchanged smiles at one another before looking away altogether to look around their surroundings again. Hyunjin realized Hyejoo was fidgeting while eyeing at the Pringle cans on display. She sighed inwardly – this can’t be it. If she wants to get to know Hyejoo, she wouldn’t be able to if they continued on to be this awkward around each other.

For Hyejoo, she was just really nervous at the moment. Hell. She doesn’t even know why she was feeling this way. Didn’t she told herself before that she doesn’t like Hyunjin?

“Hyejoo?” She heard Hyunjin called out for her. When she looked at her, Hyunjin was a little fidgety as she spoke, “Have you eaten? Do you wanna grab dinner with me maybe?”

“O–Oh. Grab dinner together?” Hyejoo repeated for confirmation, Hyunjin nodded. She looked at the time and realized it is almost time for dinner. Besides, it’s better to eat outside rather than cooking since she’s still out and about. Even if she has to eat with Hyunjin… Yeah.

“Sure.”

\--

Seconds turn to minutes, minutes turn to hours – it has been 2 hours to be exact. It was getting dark outside Hyejoo’s favorite restaurant; Hyunjin wanted Hyejoo to pick the place. They spent their whole time together talking about themselves. Hyejoo learned that they have different interests yet they clicked with one another so well, she could feel herself getting comfier with them the more time passes. Hyunjin thought the same about their friendship development, she felt as if she wasn’t the awkward version of herself anymore and was really glad that Hyejoo was starting to speak more than the amount of times they have met before today.

“I love this groove a lot!” Hyunjin said as she removed the earbuds and returned it back to Hyejoo. “So you wanna do a cover of the song?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Hyejoo put her earphones away inside her bag. “I was planning to do them with others but I realized it’s just too busy for all of us at the moment.”

“That’s understandable. Yerim told me about the wedding gig.” Hyunjin checked her phone. “Speaking of my cousin, she should be done by now. I better get moving.”

Hyejoo was also checking her phone the same time when Hyunjin did so. “And I need to head home to practice.”

“Okay. I guess it’s time to say goodbye.” Hyunjin called for a waitress to ask for their bill. “You can go ahead if you want. I’ll pay for our meals.”

“What? No way,” Hyejoo quickly took out her wallet. “I can’t let you do that.”

“But I insist.” Hyunjin smiled. She lowered Hyejoo’s hand that was about to give her money. “It’s okay. You can pay for our next date.”

“Date?”

Hyunjin gave a wink. She nervously laughed when Hyejoo was just staring back at her blankly. “Hyejoo… It’s a joke!”

“Unless….” Hyejoo trailed off her sentence, causing Hyunjin to look at her with wide eyes and curved their lips into a silly grin. “Yeah. Keep dreaming.” She continued to speak before Hyunjin could even utter a word.

“Mean.” Hyunjin pouted instantly. Now why did Hyejoo find that cute? “I’m really fine with paying for tonight’s dinner by the way. It’s okay.” Hyunjin continued to reassure them.

Unable to come up with a good reason, Hyejoo sighed in defeat and put her money back inside her wallet. “Okay. Thanks Hyunjin. It’s rude for me to just leave so I’m gonna wait for you and we can leave together.”

“Aww… How romantic.” Hyunjin teased. Hyejoo just rolled their eyes at her.

Once Hyunjin paid for their meals, the two walked to the parking lot together – coincidentally they get to park their cars just next to each other when they arrived earlier. They decided to hang around a little more with Hyunjin inviting Hyejoo inside her car.

“Hyejoo, the song from earlier, what’s the name of it?” Hyunjin broke the silence and also Hyejoo’s attention from their phone.

“Oh. It’s Losing My Way by FKJ and Tom Misch.” Said Hyejoo.

Hyunjin hummed as she typed it down on her phone. “Okay. I’ll learn the guitar parts for you.”

“Huh?” Hyejoo was taken aback by that. “For what?”

“So you could find me once you want to do a cover of it.” Hyunjin winked and laughed when Hyejoo looked at her in amusement. “I’m just saying I wanna do a cover of it with you. And it’s not just that! I find the guitar part really catchy – I wanna learn it!”

“Really?” Hyejoo asked, ignoring the part where Hyunjin said she wanted to do it with her. “How long do you think it would take for you to learn it?”

“Mmm,” Hyunjin thought of it for a moment. “I don’t have any big events happening at the moment so I guess… in a day? – Wait, you know what, maybe even in a few hours.”

Hyejoo admired Hyunjin’s confidence. Maybe she should challenge the girl just a little. “Okay then let’s start practice it together tomorrow if you want.”

“Hmm?” Hyunjin had a big grin on her face when she noticed Hyejoo was smirking back at her. “Oh, do you think I’m kidding?”

“I didn’t say anything.” Hyejoo shrugged playfully, Hyunjin was just looking at her with a loving smile. “I mean, only if you’re not busy tomorrow of course. We can start right away is what I’m saying.”

“I’m fine with that. I only have two classes tomorrow.” Hyunjin said. “But what about you? Don’t you have any band practice tomorrow for the wedding gig?”

Oh yeah. Hyejoo just realized that. She had to check her practice schedule before answering the guitarist. “Hmm, I have two band practices until 7.”

“So… I’ll drop by at your place at 8 then?” Hyunjin suggested.

“We’ll see how tomorrow goes.” Said Hyejoo and Hyunjin just nodded. “I have a guitar at my studio that you can use but you can also bring your own if you want to. Whichever you prefer of course.”

Hyunjin let out an ooh. “It’s alright. I’ll bring my baby with me and then play around with yours if we have the free time to do so.”

“Okay then.” Hyejoo checked the time. “There might be heavy traffic soon around this time heading to my college. I suggest you to move now before you’ll get stuck in it…” She said to Hyunjin who could be seen tapping their phone screen using their thumbs.

“Oh shit. Then I guess I better move now.” Hyunjin sighed. Hyejoo was about to get out of the car until Hyunjin called out for her name to stop her. “Can I have your number? Since we’re acquaintances now…. and that we have an upcoming date tomorrow.”

Hyejoo carefully took Hyunjin’s phone when the girl passed it to her. “There you go again saying date as if it’s nothing.” She said before adding her number to Hyunjin’s contact.

“We could make it mean something soon.” Hyunjin said confidently. When she checked Hyejoo’s reaction at her words, her smile beamed even brighter than ever.

“Okay miss flirt. Here’s your phone back.” Said Hyejoo casually despite feeling as if she was about to explode soon. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have a nice evening Hyejoo. I’ll text you soon, love.” Hyunjin teased. She laughed when Hyejoo just showed them her fist before getting out of the car.

It has been 10 minutes after Hyunjin had left, all while Hyejoo was still inside her own car. She was just taking her time to reply to group chats. Once she put her phone down, she hid her face in her hands against the steering wheel – Hyunjin’s last words to her were eating her alive. That was not only it as throughout the dinner they had together, Hyunjin had showed hints how much she’s interested with her. Oh my, she felt so embarrassed and at the same time, there was a sense of giddiness as well. Hyejoo actually had decent conversations with Hyunjin instead of just greetings. Not to mention those little flirtations even if those were mainly contributed by Hyunjin. Hyejoo was too shy to tease them back and she knows Hyunjin enjoyed every bit of teasing her.

“God.” Hyejoo suspired a sigh and decided it was time to move; to head home. Yet just before she could even reversed her car, she received a new text message.

**???:** is this hyejoo

 **hyeju:** yes

 **???:** okay! just checking

 **hyeju:** is this hyunjin?

 **hyunjin:** close! i’m yours ;)

 **hyeju:** noob

 **hyunjin:** noob?@!^#;

Hyejoo assumed Hyunjin was now in the middle of the heavy traffic she mentioned earlier. As much as she wants to keep them company, she needs to get home herself so she dismissed them and decided to reply them later.

Yet again much to her surprise, Hyunjin gave her a call out of nowhere.

_“I know you’re driving too so let’s call instead to avoid any incidents.”_ Was the first thing Hyunjin said before Hyejoo could even greet them. Oh how thoughtful.

“Are you stuck in traffic?” Asked Hyejoo, finally moving her car out of the parking lot.

_“Yes.”_ She heard Hyunjin sighed. _“Thankfully Yerim is grabbing dinner with her girlfriend while waiting for me. Glad that I don’t have to be in a rush to reach there.”_

“Oh, is that so…” Hyejoo was now on the main road. Upon seeing the road ahead, seems like she’s going to be stuck in a traffic too. “Okay… So? What do you wanna talk about?”

_“Mm… Tell me more about you.”_

\--

The next day was a little tiring for Hyejoo. Yesterday she had gone to bed a little later than usual – it was all thanks to Hyunjin. Even after dropping the call once Yerim entered Hyunjin’s car, they continued to text where they left off from their conversation. None of them realized they would be texting for the rest of the night until Hyejoo fell asleep when Hyunjin was talking about her love for music. Once they were both awake for the new day, they resumed on with texting each other throughout the day. It was as if they couldn’t stop themselves.

**hyunjin:** wyd

 **hyeju:** class

 **hyunjin:** :0 pay attention then!!

 **hyeju:** i would if u stop texting me

 **hyunjin:** nvm pay attention to me :]

 **hyunjin:** i’m in class too hehe

 **hyeju:** then pay attention!!

 **hyunjin:** no

 **hyunjin:** i’d rather talk to you <3

 **hyeju:** ew

 **hyunjin:** EW?@&(#

Hyejoo tried her best to hide her smile after reading Hyunjin’s reply. Last night was like a rollercoaster; Hyunjin was getting too comfortable with flirting with her without them realizing – but that was because Hyejoo showed no signs of discomfort anyway. She would be lying if she says she doesn’t find Hyunjin interesting now. Who knew they could get this closer in a short span of time?

Hmmm, okay.

So maybe she does like Hyunjin.

\--

“That’s all for today. Good job everyone!” As soon as Sooyoung concluded the practice, Hyejoo started to pack her stuffs right away. She briefly checked her phone and noticed that Hyunjin has yet to reply her back. It was said earlier that Hyunjin had a last minute band practice to attend to, thus making Hyejoo to check her phone at times out of impulse. It has only been a day; how is she this impatient already?

“Hyejoo! Are you heading home right away?” Chaewon walked up to her friend. “I need a lift to Heejin’s place if that’s okay. She’s probably dead sleeping right now since her service line pushed me to her voicemail sixteen times counting.”

“Sixteen times counting,” Hyejoo echoed, Chaewon shrugged at that. “Why don’t I just send you home right away? Our neighborhoods are in the same direction anyway.” She offered and felt her phone vibrated under her grasp. That must be Hyunjin.

**hyunjin:** hyunjin is FREE

 **hyunjin:** for you ;]

“Nah, that’s okay. Her mother invited me to join for dinner so yeah.” Said Chaewon as Hyejoo was busy typing on their phone. “But if you’re in a rush, I’ll ask someone else so no worries!”

**hyeju:** gross

 **hyunjin:** h

 **hyunjin:** eart broken many times ;[

“Oh no worries, Chae.” Hyejoo said to her friend. “I’ll give you a lift.”

“Okay great!”

**hyeju:** i’ll be home in 40

 **hyeju:** giving a lift to chae

 **hyunjin:** yes maam

 **hyunjin:** wait

 **hyunjin:** that means we can’t call :[

 **hyeju:** thank god

 **hyunjin:** $@%#&;

 **hyunjin:** MEANIE

They have been getting too comfortable on text that it made Hyejoo to wonder how they would actually talk in person later on. It was scary to think if they were still awkward with one another but Hyejoo was sure with a fascinating girl like Hyunjin, everything would be fine.

**hyeju:** <3

\--

It was almost 8 when Hyejoo finally reached her residential area. She noticed Hyunjin’s car was parked on the side near the entrance of the apartment. However there was no sign of the girl inside the car. She was about to send a text until she saw Hyunjin was casually having a conversation with the security guard near the entrance door. The girl must have been here for a few minutes now seeing that their gig bag was carefully leaning against the wall.

“Hyunjin.” Hyejoo called them out as she gets closer.

Both the guard and Hyunjin paused their conversation to look at Hyejoo. There was a big smile on Hyunjin’s face just when she looked at the bassist. “Bob look! It’s my girlfriend!”

Hyejoo swore her face was flushed in red now upon hearing that. “What.”

“We were just talking about you, babe!” Hyunjin picked up her gig bag and stood next to them. If that little pet name wasn’t enough to kill Hyejoo, the girl even looped their arm with hers. “Let’s talk some other time, Bob!”

“I didn’t even know his name is Bob.” Hyejoo commented as they headed over the elevator after bidding goodbye to the security guard.

“Bob is a good listener! You should have a conversation with him once in a while.” Hyunjin advised. She was lightly humming to a tune while checking her phone, her arm is still loosely tucked with Hyejoo’s.

“I do. Only when I went to get my mails downstairs.” Said Hyejoo. Hyunjin only replied back with an ooh. The rest of the elevator ride was then filled with Hyunjin’s humming and Hyejoo trying to calm her damn heart.

\--

‘ **Now Playing:** Losing My Way (FKJ & Tom Misch)’

As soon as they settled down inside Hyejoo’s studio, the pair was instantly immersed with practicing the song Hyejoo had been talking about during their dinner yesterday. Before they could start recording the song, Hyunjin gets to watch how Hyejoo moves around the studio from one instrument to another. Starting from the drums and ending up on the keyboard, Hyunjin felt as if she’s watching a live concert going on in Hyejoo’s studio. She didn’t know she could gain more interest with Hyejoo than ever after witnessing them in action.

“Okay. I think we can start recording now. Should we do a live recording take together or separately?” Hyejoo finally spoke to Hyunjin after several minutes of jamming to herself with the instruments she chose.

“Together please.” Hyunjin said, almost letting out a happy sigh. Hyejoo was completely unaware how swooned the girl was with her at the moment. “Mm, by the way. Didn’t the song have an alto saxophone solo together with the guitar?”

“Mhm,” Hyejoo nodded as she picked up her bass and took her seat again that was facing Hyunjin. “I’m changing that to a guitar solo.” She said as she pointed at her own guitar.

Hyunjin gasped. “We’re gonna have a guitar battle?”

“Whatever you wanna call it.” Hyejoo smiled. “I could loop the beat there so we can have fun as much as we like during that part.”

“I would love that! Hmm, let’s see! How about – We have a 16 bar solo each with 2 repeats. The other 2 repeats would be us complementing each other’s solo.” Hyunjin suggested. “What do you think?”

Hyejoo nodded. “Okay.”

“And once we’re done with everything,” Hyunjin continued, making Hyejoo to look at her in curiosity. “Go out with me maybe?”

….Oh?

\--

It was the day of the wedding gig; Hyejoo could feel the air is getting fresher for her to breathe again. The hectic weeks are finally coming to an end – not that she doesn’t enjoy them as she gets through them but the practice hours were giving her a lot of stress as the time goes. Thankfully she doesn’t have to think about it anymore once this day ends. The wedding took place at a grand hotel, in which the musicians decided their dress code would be black suit and ties except their vocalists. By the time the ceremony started, Hyejoo was being spammed by a certain person who would like to see her in her fit in ‘every angle possible’ – Hyejoo only sent them one because she likes to rebel against them.

“Hyejoo! I finally got some watermelon slices for you!” Yerim was seen to be walking with a plate of watermelon slices towards Hyejoo. “What do you think, watermelon queen?”

Hyejoo took a bite. “Hm.” She simply replied with a slight frown as she continued to chew on it.

“A disgraceful taste.” Next to her was Heejin mimicking her expression and tone. Yerim just laughed and passed the plate to Jinsoul who wanted to try it too. “Anyway Hyejoo, where are you heading after this? Wanna grab some KFCs with the rest of us?” Heejin asked, her hands were busy massaging one of Chaewon’s hands.

“I would love to but I already have plans with you know who.” Hyejoo said and Heejin just nodded in understood. “There’s this recent restaurant that was just opened next to our college though. We should check that out tomorrow.”

“Oh my God, I’ve been waiting for someone to say that!” Yerim chirped happily. “We should definitely check it out before our orchestra class!”

“Okay.” Hyejoo and Heejin voiced in agreement.

“Oh! Which reminds me,” Heejin turned towards Chaewon. “We should stop by at Ryujin’s music store to buy new strings for my violin later.” Chaewon just hummed in reply and Heejin randomly gave their hand a little kiss.

“Last band to perform, get ready.” Haseul came to the table and passed her phone to Hyejoo before leaving again to the stage. The said band that was being called immediately get up on their seats and hurried along behind Haseul. Now the table was only left with Chaewon, Yerim and Hyejoo.

“Where are you two off to this time?” Yerim strike a conversation with Hyejoo while eyes at the food on the table. Soon, her plate was filled once again – she was just too hungry today.

“Wherever she wants to go I guess.” Hyejoo sighed. “I just hope it’s not another adventure at IKEA. She almost stole a table when we went there.”

Yerim laughed. “I still can’t believe my cousin and my best friend are dating! It’s been a few weeks and I’m still surprised till this day!”

“Me too.” Chaewon chimed in. “But you guys are cute as hell.”

Hyejoo blushed at that. “Thanks or whatever.” She replied just as she received a text message.

**hyunjin <3: **are you almost done :[

 **hyunjin <3: **i miss you :[

Hyejoo smiled when she reads Hyunjin’s text. She dismissed herself from the table and head outside of the hall where a few people were hanging out with drinks in their hands. She decided to give Hyunjin a call in which she thought could maybe give the girl a peace of mind. The girl had been asking Hyejoo the same question ever since the wedding started – and that was a few hours ago.

“Hi.” She greeted once the call was connected. “There’s still one more band to go before we can pack up the equipments and leave. I’ll text you once I’m heading back to college okay?”

Hyejoo heard Hyunjin sighing from the other line. _“Mm. Okay. I guess I’ll practice my scales a little bit more in the meantime.”_ Hyunjin said, not realizing that Hyejoo was feeling guilty for making her wait. _“How is it going anyway? How’s the food?”_

“Hmm… I just had the worst watermelon ever.” Hyejoo said, causing Hyunjin to laugh. At least that put her at ease. “Like I know I said no watermelons are bad watermelons but this one… I don’t think that’s a watermelon.”

_“Is it the same as the bread you bought for me the other day?”_ Hyunjin asked. _“A fake bread that looks like bread?”_

“How many times do I have to tell you that’s a bread shaped biscuit, not a bread…” Hyejoo sighed.

_“Hundred times. Because I love annoying you about it.”_ Replied Hyunjin followed by a chuckle when she heard Hyejoo clicked her tongue. _“I miss you Hyejoo, come to me soon.”_

“No. You’re too clingy.” Was what Hyejoo said in which Hyunjin replied by ending the call abruptly. “She’s so cute.” She said to herself and decided to head back inside the hall instead of calling her girlfriend back. The band that was performing was on their last song anyway; it’s almost time to end the evening.

**hyeju <3: **;-;

 **hyunjin <3: **don’t talk to me

 **hyeju <3: **but i miss you too ;-;

 **hyunjin <3: **too late

 **hyeju <3: **;-; babyyyy

 **hyunjin <3: **hm

 **hyeju <3: **;-;

 **hyunjin <3: **;-; im hurt

 **hyeju <3: **sowy ;-;

 **hyunjin <3: **cutie ;-;

 **hyunjin <3: **ditch the gig

 **hyeju <3: **no i’m getting paid

 **hyunjin <3: **so money is more important huh

 **hyeju <3: **yea

 **hyeju <3: **i need it to survive society

 **hyunjin <3: **&@^!#>?

 **hyunjin <3: **then where would u put ME

 **hyeju <3: **my heart

 **hyunjin <3: **;-;

 **hyunjin <3: **illegal

“Hyejoo,” She heard Chaewon called for her just before she could text a reply. “Time to pack up.”

“Finally.”

**hyeju <3: **we’re done

 **hyunjin <3: **YAY

“Hyejoo!” This time it was Yerim who called for her. “Are you gonna meet Hyunjin right away?”

Hyejoo shook her head since Yerim was looking at her, awaiting for her respond. “We still need to send these equipments back to college.”

“Good. Don’t pull a Sooyoung.” Replied Haseul as she gets her phone back from Hyejoo. “Remember that Chuseok Festival last year where she left us to pack by ourselves because Jinsoul said she’s meeting an old friend nearby?”

Sooyoung gasped dramatically just a few meters away from her friends. “I’m right here!” She was packing up the drum sets with the help of Yeojin.

“Yeah, I mean to let you hear that.” Haseul teased.

Jinsoul scoffed. “She didn’t let me breathe just because I told her the said friend used to have a crush on me.”

“I will never let anyone live especially those who have a crush on you. There could only be one person who can be in love with Jung Jinsoul and that would be me, the great romantic and charming Ha Sooyoung.” Sooyoung said, making her friends groaned at her whilst Jinsoul just send a flying kiss at her direction.

“Yeah, no worries. I would never be as gross as Sooyoung.” Hyejoo replied to Haseul quietly. The musicians continued on with their duties until Hyejoo felt her phone vibrated in her pocket.

**hyunjin <3: **are you moving yet

 **hyeju <3: **woman let me breathe

 **hyunjin <3: **HM

\--

“Have a nice evening!”

Hyejoo watched her friends leaving the college perimeter one by one while she stayed behind with Yerim and Yeojin. They were waiting for Hyunjin to arrive together – Yerim would be using Hyunjin’s car to head home later since her cousin gave her a lift to the grand hotel earlier. It was sad to both Hyunjin and Hyejoo as they couldn’t meet much earlier since Hyunjin was in a rush for her morning class. But that’s okay; Hyunjin would be staying at Hyejoo’s place for the night since she had no classes tomorrow. That means they have the rest of the day with one another much to their content.

A familiar car was seen to be approaching the college ground moments later and the trio watched as Hyunjin smoothly parked the car at the empty spot next to Hyejoo’s car.

“Your driving skills never cease to amaze me.” Yeojin said when Hyunjin got out of the car. The older one just laughed as a reply.

“Hey she learned driving from me!” Yerim boasted in jealousy but Yeojin was already entering the car without acknowledging her pride was a little hurt.

“Help me fill up the fuel before you head home later.” Hyunjin said to her cousin as she passed them gas money.

Yerim accepted the money and gave her cousin a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” She then waved at Hyejoo who was just watching her friends from afar. “Bye Hyejoo! See you tomorrow!”

“Bye.” Hyejoo waved back, not forgetting to wave at Yeojin who was also waving goodbye inside the car.

Once the couple left, Hyunjin immediately wrap her arms around Hyejoo and hid their face on their neck. “Hi.” She greeted them in a soft tone.

“Hi.” Hyejoo hugged them in return. “I missed you.”

“As you should.” Hyunjin replied as she lets them go and slipped her hand to entwine with Hyejoo’s own. She then started to check out Hyejoo’s suit and tie outfit, a huge smile was visible on her face. “God, you look so attractive right now.”

“Only now?” Hyejoo pouted.

“Of course not! You’re just extra attractive today.” Hyunjin leaned closer to Hyejoo’s ear. “It makes me wanna kiss you in public.”

Hyejoo’s heart skipped a beat. “Then kiss me, you coward.” She said, not realizing she was madly blushing because of how close they were at the moment.

“I’m saving those for later.” Hyunjin was smiling proudly upon seeing Hyejoo’s shy expression. She did gave them a kiss on the cheek nevertheless before taking a step back. “Right now I wanna eat. I’m so hungry!”

Hyejoo inwardly sighed and let out a smile when Hyunjin looked at her. “Okay. Let’s grab something to eat. Would you mind if we just eat around this area?”

“As long as I’m with you, I’m fine with anything.” Hyunjin said.

“That’s so cringe.” Hyejoo teased. Hyunjin just glared at her for brief seconds before being told to put their backpack inside her car. “It’s on me today. I’m gonna let you have a buffet feast if you want to.” She said after giving Hyunjin a kiss on the back of their hand once she holds it again.

Hyunjin loves it whenever Hyejoo does that. “Romantic.” She commented with her cheeks being terribly flushed. “But I wouldn’t let you spend that much on me. Let’s roam around the area first okay?”

“Okay.” Hyejoo squeezed their hand as she let Hyunjin lead the way.

\--

‘ **Now Playing:** Groove (EXO)’

As the sun sets under the horizon, Hyejoo was alone at her living room playing her acoustic guitar with the current song playing on loop. She was fascinated with the chord progression of the song that she decided to transcribe it. A few more repeats later, Hyunjin emerged from her bedroom in a cozier clothes than the outfit she wore for the whole day. With her hair still wet, she draped her towel over her head as she ambled towards her girlfriend who was too focused with scribbling chords on a notebook.

“Joojoo, your turn to shower.” Said Hyunjin as she petted Hyejoo’s head. When the girl only replied with a hum, she decided to annoy them by poking their forehead until Hyejoo would finally look at her. “Take a bath.” She said again when Hyejoo glared at her.

Hyejoo sighed. She doesn’t like getting interrupted when she’s in the middle of doing something – but this is Hyunjin; no matter how annoying they are, she could never tell them off for some reason.

“Okay.” Hyejoo passed her guitar to Hyunjin and got up from the couch. “I’ll be right back.” She aggressively ruffled Hyunjin’s hair using the towel on their head and left hurriedly into her bedroom before Hyunjin could even get a chance to scold at her.

As it was Hyunjin’s turn to be left alone at the living room, she spent her time drying her hair while listening to the current song playing on Hyejoo’s phone. “She’s crazy.” She commented when she examined the current page of Hyejoo’s notebook. After reading the notes, she picked up the guitar and tried the chords as the song continues on loop.

“I just wanna make you groooove baby!” She sang when Hyejoo returned to the living room minutes later.

“You learned it so quick.” Hyejoo took a seat next to her girlfriend. She took the guitar back into her arms when Hyunjin gave it to her. “Are the chords accurate?”

“Mhm. You have a perfect pitch.” Hyunjin took off her towel from her head and draped it on Hyejoo’s head; she suspected that Hyejoo was just too lazy to dry it since it was still dripping wet. “Sit on the floor you lazy ass.” She instructed in which Hyejoo smoothly slipped themselves to the floor.

“Moon Festival is coming up. Did you guys get any invitation to perform?” Hyejoo asked as she strums her guitar.

“Mhm, I’m performing with the same bandmates from Jazz Fest.” Hyunjin answered as her hands were busy drying Hyejoo’s hair with her towel. “What about you guys?”

“Yeah, we’re performing too.” Hyejoo replied and decided it was time to change song.

‘ **Now Playing:** Love Belt (Jonghyun & Younha)’

Hyunjin gasped dramatically at Hyejoo’s reply. “We get to date while performing for a gig?”

“Lord I hope we don’t have the same day slot.” Hyejoo joked, Hyunjin pinched her shoulder as a punishment. “Ouch.”

“I hope we do get the same day slot!” Hyunjin said. “I wanna spend a lot of time with you on that special day.”

Hyejoo smiled because of that. “I’ll think about it.”

“You’re a meanie.” Hyunjin huffed.

\--

The pair had climbed on Hyejoo’s bed earlier than they expected; however it was still too early to call it a night. They decided to exchange childhood stories to pass the time, in which it was actually just Hyunjin who was telling all the tales of her adventures while Hyejoo listened to her attentively.

“And then Yerim forced me to attend her roach’s funeral at the backyard. Like we spent 15 minutes crying and I didn’t even know why I was crying with her – it was so dumb!” Hyunjin whined.

Hyejoo just laughed as a reply before noticing that Hyunjin had stopped talking and was instead looking at her with a loving smile at that moment. “Is there something on my face?”

“Mmm, no. I’m just enjoying looking at the cutest person in the world.” Hyunjin replied, she laughed when Hyejoo made a sour expression. “See? The cutest even when you’re my grumpy baby!”

“I wanna deck you but I’m too tired right now.” Hyejoo closed her eyes as she sighed.

“It’s okay! I’ll do the honors.” Hyunjin scooted her body closer to Hyejoo and leaned in to plant a kiss on Hyejoo’s nose. “There.” She pinned their foreheads together as she searched for Hyejoo’s hand under the duvet. Once she found it, she entwined it with her own hand and brought it up onto her chest.

“I said deck not peck.” Hyejoo opened her eyes and shyly glared at Hyunjin’s pretty big round eyes that was staring back at her. “But… Can I get a kiss now that we’re alone?” She asked whilst poking Hyunjin’s collarbone with her hand that Hyunjin was holding.

“We’ve been alone for a few hours now.” Hyunjin giggled. “You could have kissed me whenever you want to, Hyejoo.”

“It’s rude to not ask.”

“But I’m your girlfriend?”

“I know.” Hyejoo blushed. “I still respect our boundaries even if we’re girlfriends though.”

Hyunjin sighed dreamily. “You’re so cute.”

“And you are still as beautiful as the day I first laid my eyes on you.” Hyejoo blurted out but that was enough for her to get a surprise kiss by the swooned guitarist.

“I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> hello you've reached the end of this story ;-;b thank you so much for reading! remember that hyunhye is the way! awomen!!


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